Happy Sunday, beautiful kittens! How are you? Are you enjoying your weekend? In some places of the UK, this is a holiday weekend, but alas, that’s not where I work so this is a normal weekend for me. Oh well, doesn’t really matter because I managed to have a lovely day yesterday with my partner (went to an artisan/farmers market in town and the vegan and cruelty-free products were almost everywhere!), then to the vegan cafe for a light lunch, a nice walk, made dinner and chilled watching The Last of Us (yes, we’re quite behind schedule in watching this series compared to the rest of the world). Today was another relaxing day, although I also managed to tidy up the place and throw away stuff that I don’t need and can’t be donated. Also, it happened! THE OVEN IS HERE! It arrived on Wednesday and I’m excited to try all the recipes that I’ve been saving for roasted veggies, baked goods etc. But today wasn’t the day: after all the tidying/cleaning I didn’t have any more energy to dive into a baking recipe. So I hereby present you with this recipe for a Chocolate Almond Butter Chia Pudding by AllTheHealthyThings.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup  chia seeds
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ cup canned coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients except the chia seeds.
2. Add the chia seeds and whisk again until well combined.
3. Pour the mix into a glass storage container and place it in the refrigerator. After a few minutes, give it another stir to make sure everything is evenly combined.
4. Leave the chia pudding in the fridge overnight. In the morning give it a good stir and then top it with fresh berries, your favorite granola, and nut butter.

Enjoy!

Love,

TVCL xx

Hello beauties! It’s been another manic week, there are so many things to do and time just flies! But I’m trying not to panic and my “word of the year” which is balance for me this year, is always with me. So, having nice, comforting food is a must especially in this time, and this Easy Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry by MyQuietKitchen is exactly what I need to get me through these busy days.

Ingredients 

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and zested or minced
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 ¼ cups dry red lentils
• 2 cups soy curls or 1 cup TVP
• 1 heaping tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon tamari (for GF) or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 ¼ cups water

Method 

1. Note: to avoid a burn warning on the Instant Pot it’s important to measure accurately and avoid major adjustments to the the wet/dry ratio.
2. Combine all ingredients in the Instant Pot (onion – water), and stir very well. If using soy curls/TVP, these go in dry; no need to soak first. Lock on the lid, set to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
3. Carefully flip the toggle to manually release the pressure. Serve with rice or potatoes, a squeeze of lime juice, and fresh cilantro, if desired. Lentil curry is also great with a dollop of plain vegan yogurt.

I hope you’ll find this recipe as delicious as I do!

Love,

TVCL xx

Happy Sunday, my cats! How are you? Are you enjoying your Summer? Here we’re having some clammy days, but at least today it was windy so it took away a bit of the dampness and my daily walk was more pleasant. Usually, on a Sunday I would make something sweet for the week like muffins, cookies etc: however, I still don’t have an oven at the new place so I am not able to bake. Does this mean that I can’t have a homemade sweet to enjoy during the week? Absolutely not! I’m not defeated that easily. As you’ve seen in a couple of past posts (here and here), there are delicious solutions to have easy and quick oven-free recipes! This week, I am sharing an amazing recipe to get your day start properly: Easy Coffee Overnight Oats by ForkfulPlants.

Ingredients  

• 40 g oats (~½ cup)
• 15 g chia seeds (~1½ tbsp)
• 80 ml brewed coffee (⅓ cup)
• 125 ml almond milk (½ cup)
• 60 g plain dairy-free yoghurt (⅓ cup)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract optional
• 1-2 tsp maple syrup optional

Method 

1. In a mason jar or bowl, add the oats, chia seeds, brewed coffee, almond milk, yoghurt, vanilla (if using) and maple syrup (if using).
2. Mix really well until it’s all combined, then cover and move to the fridge.
3. Leave to thicken overnight, or for a minimum of 3 hours.
4. To enjoy your oats the next morning, you can top them with some more yoghurt and some chopped nuts or seeds.

You can make it every night and it really takes just a few minutes: easy, quick, delicious and nutritious! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Love,

TVCL xx

Hello beautiful kittens! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend! Here, I’ve been working on my new bedroom, which is still basically in boxes – I want to go through the contents of each one because I didn’t manage to do this before packing. But I am quite happy with what I have done today as I got rid of a few things and the place is a bit tidier. Slow but steady. So, being that I am still very busy with the aftermath of the move, I am still seeking easy and quick recipes. And one of these is this Vegetarian Stir-fry with Soya Granules by WhereIsMySpoon: perfect recipe for when half of your kitchenware is still away in boxes!

ngredients 

• 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ 2 cups soya granules
• 700 ml/ 23.6 fl.oz/ 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2.5 cm/ 1 inch ginger
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 scallions
• 150 g/5.4 oz green beans defrosted, if frozen
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce
• 2 teaspoons sriracha or more chili sauce
• fine sea salt and pepper

Method

1. Cover the soy granules with the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid.
2. Chop the ginger and garlic very finely and pound to a paste.
3. Slice the onions finely. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and slice the halves. Cut the bell peppers and the carrots into fine strips. Cut the green beans in two or three pieces, depending on their size. Slice the scallions thinly, but keep the whites and the greens separated.
4. Mix the soya sauce, chili sauce, and sriracha.
5. Heat the oil and saute the ginger-garlic paste for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the onions and fry until slightly translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables, except the greens of the scallions, and stir fry for about 5-6 minutes until they are starting to get softer.
6. Add the soy granules and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
7. Add the sauce, salt, and pepper to taste and let everything get hot, about 2-3 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the stir-fry with the chopped scallion greens.
9. Serve with rice or noodles.

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Love,

TVCL xx

Happy Sunday, my beauties! Apologies for the radio silence, but it’s been really hectic in the past couple of weeks: I moved home and all my non-working time was spent in boxing, cleaning, and moving stuff for several days. When I knew I had to move, I had a month to prepare and since my flat was only one bedroom, I thought I could do each week a different room. It started well, but then I realised I had to use every day some items from each room and so I had to change strategy mid-way leaving the everyday items for the last week with the cleaning, powering through the boxing in the third week. I also had the experience of driving a van for the first time! And the last three days before handing the keys, I found out that the stuff I left seems was breeding and multiplying: I would prepare boxes and bags thinking I would only have a couple of carloads to do, and then after having done 2 or 3, more stuff was waiting for me. It’s been a tiring few weeks and there still boxes I have to go through at the new place, but I’m getting there. And my beautiful cat is taking it quite well, but that’s another story. So, with all this chaos I haven’t been able to cook much and wanted the quickest stuff to eat. These Raw Vegan Brownie Bites by TheFull Helping were just the perfect treat!

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews or walnuts
• 4 tablespoons raw cacao or cocoa powder, plus extra for rolling (if desired)
• Generous pinch sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups pitted, tightly packed Medjool dates

Method

1. Place the cashews, cacao powder, and sea salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process for about 30 seconds, or till everything is pretty well ground up.
2. Add the dates and process for another 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is evenly combined and sticking together. It should stick together easily when you squeeze a little in your hand.
3. Shape the “dough” into balls that are about 3/4 – 1 inch thick by rolling it in your palms. If you’d like, transfer extra cacao or cocoa powder to a plate and roll the balls in it to coat.
4. Store the energy bites in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

TVCL, xx

Happy Sunday, my beauties! Last week I was off work, just to catch my breath after some main events at the library and I took the chance to visit a place I really love, by the sea: it takes an hour and a half to get there but the day was just beautiful with a clear sky so it was really an enjoyable journey. It was a perfect day for a walk on the beach! However, I didn’t take into account the very strong wind at the beach and I think I caught a cold. Oh well. I still enjoyed the day, no regrets. I also took the time to see a couple of friends and my energy levels seem to be recharging well. In the meantime, I am also doing the Limpia and I was really craving something comforting for the weekend and while I Skyped with my parents they said they were going to make a quiche: perfect idea! And I remember I saw the recipe for a Vegan Quiche by LovingItVegan and this can be made also without the crust part so it was just ideal. And here I share the recipe: this is the original one, with the pie crust, but you can totally make just the filling as a gluten-free quiche.

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour (145g)
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp White Granulated Sugar
• ¼ cup Coconut Oil (55g) Solid
• 4 Tbsp Ice Water

For the Filling:

• 14 ounces Firm Tofu (400g)
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Onion Powder
• ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• ¾ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black Salt Kala Namak
• 2 Tbsp Soy Milk
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
• 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
• 2 ½ cups Cremini Mushrooms (240g) Sliced*
• 3 cups Baby Spinach (90g) Chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare your pie crust: Add the all purpose flour, salt and sugar to a food processor and mix together. Add the coconut oil and process until crumbly.  Add the ice water and process into a dough.
2. Place the ball of dough onto a flour dusted surface and roll it out into a giant round that can fit over your 9-inch pie dish. 
3. Carefully lift it and place it over the pie dish and tuck it in along the sides. Cut off any excess dough hanging over the sides of the dish with a scissors. 
4. Place the pie crust into the fridge while you work on your filling. 
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
6. Prepare your filling: Add the tofu, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black salt (aka kala namak) into your food processor. Process until well mixed. Add the soy milk and process again until it reaches a smooth consistency. Set aside. 
7. Add the olive oil to a pot along with the chopped onion and crushed garlic and sauté until the onions are softened. 
8. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté with the onions until the mushrooms are softened. 
9. Add the chopped baby spinach and sauté until just wilted. 
10. Now add in your tofu mix from the food processor and fold it in with the mushrooms and spinach. 
11. Add the filling to your pie crust and smooth it down evenly. 
12. Place it into the oven and bake uncovered for 40 minutes until firm and golden on top. 
13. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
14. Quiche can be served either warm or cold. 

I’m sure you’ll love it!

Talk soon,

TVCL xx